The Pine Shoot Beetle also might attack stressed pine trees by breeding under the bark at the base of the trees. Pine shoot beetle eggs are approximately 1⁄25 inch (1 mm) long, oval, smooth, and shiny white. The fungus also blocks water and nutrient transport within the tree. The beetles can cause a severe decline in the health of the trees, and possibly kill the trees when high populations exist. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to lift the domestic quarantine for pine shoot beetle. The beetles can cause severe decline in the health of the trees, and in some cases, kill the trees when high populations exist. Traps can be used to detect pine shoot beetles and limit their infestation of some stands. Both eggs and larvae are found inside galleries under the bark of weakened trees or stumps. The pine shoot beetle may also attack stressed pine trees by breeding under the bark at the base of the trees. Reddish sawdust may be apparent as the larvae bore in the inner bark. Their head and chest are shiny black and their wing covers are reddish-brown to black. Mountain pine beetles affect pine trees by laying eggs under the bark. The beetle is widespread in Europe and Asia, and was most likely introduced to North America by foreign ships carrying beetle-infested wood as dunnage. The pine shoot beetle was first discovered in the United States in July of 1992 in Cleveland, Ohio on a Christmas tree farm. First discovered in North America in July of 1992, it has been most frequently reported on Austrian and Scots pine. COMMON PINE SHOOT BEETLE ( Tomicus piniperda ). The common pine shoot beetle, has been known as a pest of conifers in Europe and Asia for many years.Feeding causes death of shoots, loss of vigor and slowing of growth, a serious hazard to the timber industry. Adults are 3 to 5 mm long Footnote 1 and shaped like little barrels. Damage: The beetle attacks new shoots of pine trees, stunting the growth of the trees. The logs are then destroyed. Larvae are legless, white grubs, up to 1⁄5 inch (5 mm) long, with brown heads. The Common Pine Shoot Beetle is a serious foreign pest of pines, which attacks new shoots of pine trees, stunting the growth of the trees. The beetles introduce blue stain fungus into the sapwood that prevents the tree from repelling and killing the attacking beetles with tree pitch flow. Another technique is to arrange pine logs on the ground, which serve as bait and are colonized by adult insects. Tomicus piniperda (Pine Shoot Beetle) - Fact Sheet Description of the adults. Mountain pine beetles can damage whole regions of forest. However, the invasive pine shoot beetle could be hitching a ride!